The Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus has reported numerous violations in the protection of aquatic biological resources. An inspection revealed shortcomings in the work of local authorities, gaps in legislation, and insufficient oversight of measures to prevent mass fish deaths.
According to the prosecutor’s office press service, Belarus recorded 86 incidents of mass fish deaths over the past three years, resulting in the loss of more than 68,000 fish. The damage has been estimated at 3.2 million Belarusian rubles.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, 41 of the 45 districts inspected had failed to carry out the preventive measures required by law to avert mass fish deaths. In 15 districts, responsibility for such measures had not been assigned to any relevant authority.
In addition, the causes of the mass fish deaths were never established in nearly half of the recorded cases. At the same time, excessive concentrations of pollutants were detected in a number of water bodies, which, the prosecutor’s office noted, does not rule out a man-made cause.
The agency also pointed to gaps in the regulatory framework. In particular, existing regulations require the application of lime to water bodies during periods of high temperatures, but the term “high temperature” is not defined in legislation. The mandatory measures also do not include the removal of aquatic vegetation, which can contribute to lower oxygen levels in the water.
According to the inspection, fish harvesting quotas were not revised following mass fish deaths in some water bodies because current legislation does not require lessees and users of water bodies to report such incidents to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Following the inspection, the Prosecutor General’s Office called for the identified violations to be addressed, responsible officials to be held accountable, amendments to relevant regulations to be considered, and oversight of the protection of water bodies to be strengthened.